Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway chairman/CEO says that buying single family homes is a great way to short the dollar. Read More

After more than a year of negotiations, attorneys general from more than 40 states signed on to a proposed settlement agreement with five of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers over “robo-signing” foreclosure processing abuses, according to the lead negotiator, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. Read More

New U.S. single-family home sales unexpectedly fell in December for the first time in four months and the median home price dropped, dampening some of the hopes the housing sector will boost the economy this year. Read More

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Sales of homes in foreclosure comprised 20% of all U.S. residential sales during the third quarter, according to RealtyTrac.

That share is a significant decline from the same period in 2010, when foreclosed homes made up 30% of residential sales, but it’s still a far cry from levels seen during healthier housing markets when foreclosures comprised less than 5% of sales. Read More

The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes fell in December after hitting the highest level in a year and a half. The National Association of Realtors said its index of sales agreements fell 3.5 percent last month to a reading of 96.6. That’s down from November’s reading of 100.1. Read More

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Home sales ended a difficult year on a high note, resulting in a gain in full-year sales volume.

The National Association of Realtors reported that the annual sales pace in December reached 4.6 million homes, up 5% from November’s pace and 3.6% from a year ago. Read More

Applications for U.S. home mortgages surged more than 20 percent last week, fueled by a wave of refinancing demand as interest rates dropped, an industry group said on Wednesday. Read More

The number of U.S. homes that received a foreclosure filing fell to a four-year low in 2011 as a slowdown in processing hit the market, RealtyTrac said in a report on Thursday. Foreclosure filings, which include default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, slid by 34 percent in 2011, the lowest level since 2007, just as the housing market was starting to crumble. RealtyTrac said there were filings on 1,887,777 homes last year. Read More

The Obama administration, in conjunction with federal regulators and led by the overseer of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, is very close to announcing a pilot program to sell government-owned foreclosures in bulk to investors as rentals, according to administration officials. Read More

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The Federal Reserve on Friday kept up its push for increased steps to lift the struggling housing market, as a key Fed president called for more mortgage refinancing as well as principal reductions for hard-hit borrowers. Read More